Jim Causley

Jim Causley

Jim Causley is an English folk singer, songwriter and musician from Devon, in the United Kingdom. Born in 1980, he specialises in the traditional songs and music of the West Country and develops that interest from an early age through his family, the local folk scene and the wassailing tradition in his village of Whimple in East Devon.

Background and training

Causley studies Jazz and Popular Music at Exeter College before going on to study Traditional Music at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. During this period, he becomes active in the wider folk scene and develops a strong interest in folk clubs across the country as a solo performer.

Recordings and releases

He records his debut album, Fruits of the Earth, on the WildGoose label in 2005. In the same year he records two tracks for Martyn Wyndham-Read’s Song Links 2 album on Fellside, a project linking English traditional songs with their American variants.

Awards and group work

Causley is nominated for Best Newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2006. He also performs as part of the trio The Devil's Interval, whose WildGoose album Blood & Honey receives wide acclaim and another Folk Award nomination in 2007.

Other collaborations

He tours with Waterson:Carthy as part of their Frost & Fire Christmas Tour for four consecutive years and joins them in the studio on Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man on Topic. He also works in a duo with longtime collaborator James Dumbelton, performs with the Essex group Mawkin as Mawkin:Causley, and collaborates with Scottish musician John McCusker on the Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival commissioned project Under One Sky.

Performance style

Causley is known for a warm, rich and mature singing voice, a strong ability to interpret traditional song, and a wry, cheeky stage presence.